This usually involves maximizing in the final product the ratio of contained reinforcing fabric to surrounding resin polymer matrix. As you might expect, the facts are more complicated than many marketing copywriters would have you believe — but not so complicated that average guys like you and me can’t understand the issues. Some builders use a chopper gun without roving (the part that gets chopped by razors in the gun) to spray and catalyze the resin at the same time. Chopper layed fiberglass requires significantly less labor to apply. Boston Whaler is unusual in that it builds a high quality hull using a chopper gun, which is generally seen at lower price point manufactuers. Handles, Life Jackets & Mat would be smooth and chopper gun course or rough. This method is used often when one side of the finished product is not seen, or when large quantities of a product must be made cheaply and quickly without regards to strength. Copyright © 2019 IBOATS. Chopper gun is a big spray apparatus that shoots a controlled mixture of chopped strands and resin into the mold. They showed both the hand lay-up and chopper gun versions available at that time. And it can produce a high-quality product, albeit one that, all other factors equal, will be a bit heavier for a given strength than a laminate laid up using vacuum infusion techniques. Plumbing, Fresh Water Boat I just went in for a quote to repair it. Blocks, Marine GPS Chartplotter and Fish Finder Combo, Find Bilge Pump, Tires, Rims, & Hub Switches, Shore Power & AC Savers, Boat Trailer Guides & Deals, Paint & Maintenance & That is also the reason to why there were hardly any luxery boats built with this wastable material. Transom The applicator is called a chopper gun because it literally take a long continuous strand ( think string ) of fiberglass, then inside the applicator gun, it chops the strand into small pieces, mixes it with the resin, and sprays the resin soaked short pieces of FG stand into the hull. A gun laid panels are just as good as hand laid , same resin same glass but its the skill of the operater that is in question !! So when we talk about the construction methods of how fiberglass pools are made wow, there are huge differences. The problem with a chopper gun is getting the correct ratio of resin to the fabric. A Realistic Look at Hand Lay-Up Versus Vacuum Infusion. Time has proven that a good chopper gun boat is better than a bad hand laid boat. Bilge Pumps, Shop Similar to hand lay-up, spray-up offers greater shape complexity and faster production. And because the strands are short, they do not have the structural integrity of woven fiberglass cloth. So if two almost identical hulls are laid up, one (call it Hull A) using hand-lay techniques and the other (call it Hull B) using vacuum infusion procedures, with identical configurations of fiber reinforcing, hull A will end up with more resin in its cured laminate than hull B. Consequently, hull A will be not only a bit heavier, but somewhat thicker. The chopper gun method, which is spray on, is extremely reliant on the operator and the thickness throughout the process, making the product inconsistent. Harware, Marine Nuts, Bolts, & Waxes, Boat Cleaning Ropes, Boat Chopper Gun or Hand Laid This is probably the most misunderstood procedure in the fiberglass process. Why Do We Use Chopped Fiberglass vs. Hand-Laid Fiberglass … Seattle, WA 98117 San Diego, CA 92106 Chris-Craft actually tried fireing a gun at an early hull and found it held up and thought well this seems good enough Also no one knew at the time how long fiberglass hulls would last. Ltd.supply glass fiber spray machine All of our products feature hand-laid fiberglass construction, using premium grade materials. AN Covers, Boat Shrink Wrap I knew I was venturing into a different way of doing fiberglass when I researched chopper vs. hand laid. So the advantage is….fast thus inexpensive. Sportfishing yachts like a Bayliss 73 foot convertible, and high-end cruisers like Vicem yachts, are built with these methods. The hand laid fiberglass construction process is labor intensive and requires the touch of a skilled craftsman. Designed with industry-proven Graco components, Graco fiberglass chop equipment for FRPs (fiber-reinforced plastics) is engineered with exclusive technological advancements to provide unmatched durability and ease of use. Detectors, Binoculars & Motors, Fishing Downriggers & Today, we only sell fiberglass and that is what the majority of folks are running. PFDs, Roof Racks, Carriers, Hardware, Marine Layered roving onto the mold for the application of resin and chop. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 5060 N Harbor Dr, Suite 155 A chopper gun is used to chop and deposit fiberglass roving and carbon fiber tow into a mold or part. She didn’t have to repair it often. It is then backed with an exclusive, pure vinyl ester barrier coat and 3 oz. Display Mode. (206) 789-8044, Anacortes Marina As well, infusion is generally more expensive than hand lay-up. This is the quickest thus the cheapest way of laminating a hull. Grills, Boat Drink & Rings, Prop Nut Kits & 719 28th St, Ste B It was cheap. I'll take a great hamburger over a charred to death NY Strip. Distribution, ProMariner ProNautic Tops, Other These boats were looked upon as consumer products. For example, a first-class hand-laid hull is preferable to a poorly-done infused product. If not properly sprayed you can result with unequal thicknesses resulting in hot spots causing warpage. We then roll it out to consolidate and remove air. Most modern resign infused hulls have solid fiberglass in key areas like the chain plates and through hulls so water cannot damage the core. The basic fact to keep in mind is that the choice of a laminating technique is not, in and by itself, as important as the ultimately achieved quality of the manufactured product. Most cars are built with polyester (and so are … The Chopper Gun makes it easy to quickly cover large surfaces with fiberglass. As you might expect, hand lay-up is highly labor-intensive. 473 Hailing Port: Belleville, IL: 03/25/2008 5:30 AM Pacific Time . It is not well known but the quality is very high. Boat Repair, Boat Paint & I was needing info and prices 8) Meredith. Why do so many builders extol the virtues of their vacuum infused laminates? Alameda, CA 94501 Which is poppycock.. The gun then chops the roving into short pieces and deposits them onto the mold. Biminis, RV & Trailer They use the resin and chopper gun as a filler to fill voids and gaps. RS Chopper Gun. Protection, Ladders, Steps, & In vacuum infusion, pre-cut pieces of reinforcing fabric are placed dry one after another in a ”stack” in the mold. Hardware, Boat Seats by Wells, Toilet & Waste Communication, Auto Pilot Threaded fiberglass through machine rollers. Gel coat, which is pigmented … The advantages over plastic are refined lines, reduced weight, and equal or lower cost. Maintenance, Pumps and The result is a very strong structure at minimum weight. Systems, Lowrance Hook2-4 GPS Plumbing, Anchor I saw a post a while back on someone making/selling 1pc frt ends & fiberglass rear fenders for type 3's. Used Chopper Guns Used Cutting Tools Used Ultrasonic Cutters Used Foam Applicators Used Filament Winding Machines Used Laminating Machines Used Pultrusion Equipment; Used Resin Infusion Equipment Used Spray Application Systems Used Vacuum Molding Equipment Used Fiberglass Equipment Submit a Listing to the Exchange: The International Fiberglass Exchange … In these cases the structure of the boat is crafted from wood which is then layered with or encapsulated in hand-laid fiberglass and epoxy resin. Hand laid is where you take mat or cloth, wet it out, and lay it by hand into the mold. ACCOUNT, Find Trolling Motors, Shop Hand laid versus chopper gun methods are day and night when it comes to strength issues. Generally, the optimum ratio of reinforcing fabric to resin polymer is considered to be 70/30 by finished (post-cured) weight. Galley, Barbeque Although this sped up the layup/laminating process, parts still had to stay in … Accessories, Marine DC Power Plugs Whether hand lay-up is as good as other methods or inferior to them, and whether the latest techniques in “vacuum bagging” and “infusion” yield a much stronger, more durable product. At Bluestar we use hand lamination for our fiberglass. Battery Charger, Marine Audio & your boats Gel Coat Match, Shop Because greater weight generally requires increased motive power, one of the goals in FRP laminates is to optimize strength-to-weight ratio. The fiberglass had absorbed the impact with no structural damage. From their own modest literature...​. Anchor Box Anchors, Fishing Rod & Reel So then, you ask, what is the big deal and why all the touting of vacuum infusion over hand lay-up? Excess resin results in extra weight, which does not equate to extra strength. Seats, Pontoon Boat Seats & Fiberglass Gun Roving is fed through the back of the gun in a long continuous piece. Use and throw away. Login, Boats This was shown when Sundance acquired a brand … The advent of the chopper gun made it easier to manufacture fiberglass parts, thus saving time and making it more cost effective. Bullet Skimmer, Paint and Our #1171-A is a hand held, variable speed air powered chopper gun that is primarily used for coating molds or parts with fiberglass. Outboards, Shop Parts, Boat Tubing & Blown VS Hand laid fiberglass: Rate Topic. Spray-Up also known as chop method of creating fiberglass objects by spraying short strands of glass out of a pneumatic gun. Products, Carbon Monoxide & All, Boat Bimini The old chopper-gun laminates were built up quickly using a resin gun that simultaneously sprayed catalyzed resin while chopping up glass filaments and feeding them into the gun’s resin stream on the run. It was actually their idea. Deals, Electrical The applicator is called a chopper gun because it literally take a long continuous strand ( think string ) of fiberglass, then inside the applicator gun, it chops the strand into small pieces, mixes it with the resin, and sprays the resin soaked short pieces of FG stand into the hull. A commonly misconception abounds that hand-laid laminates are necessarily inferior in strength to infused laminates. Downs, Couplers, Mounts, I'm assuming an equal skill ratio for chop vs. hand laid. It’s a fairly stable boat, and I think it will meet your needs. Two major differences are chopper gun vs hand laid fiberglass. As the name implies, hand lay-up involves saturating glass reinforcement and applying this material by hand to the mold . Vinyl, Floating Boat Category, View I have been fixing these all over my car and I see no end in sight. A special roller is used to compress … Acessories, Fish Cleaning The fiberglass spray lay-up process is similar to the hand lay-up process but differs in the application of the fiber and resin to the mold. Unique spray control technology delivers a superior mix of resin and fiberglass chop strands for material efficiency and better working environments. Instruments, VHF Radios & The confusion enters because in traditional engineering the “strength” of a material is usually expressed in terms of unit load carried per square unit of cross-sectional area (for example, in pounds per square inch). Dollies, SportsStuff Great Big These sheets are cut to size and are laid one on top of the other on the mould during the lamination process thereby ensuring the consistent thickness of the product. Keep in mind that, just like plastics, there are several levels of fiberglass too (various composites, hand-laid vs chopper gun, and how they are reinforced when built.) People are against chopper guns simply because they dont know how to use them properly . Storage The resin and glass may be applied separately or simultaneously "chopped" in a combined stream from a chopper gun. He made the assumption and comment that although most boats have some chopper gun glass before hand roving is laid down, a total chopper gun hull was a cheaper hull and besides that Whalers had no stringers. Marble, Engine We are very proud of our line of Dolphin industries fiberglass swimming pools. Done properly this is a super way to build a hull. Supplies, Boston Whaler, 1972-1993, Towers, Tow Ropes & The fiberglass is partly chopper gun, but the boat was strong enough for an older gal, friend of mine, to paddle for several years on easy whitewater. Price my be higher than Crownline or Chaparral. This is quite deceiving. Although many modern boatbuilders eschew the use of wood, on high-end custom yachts like this Jarrett Bay, … Manufacturer, Boat Tables & Chopped Many boats will have both methods used in their construction. That works well for homogeneous materials such as steel and aluminum. The reason Whaler used a chopper gun lay up is because it produces a smoother and more uniform hull. Insurance, Boat Cushions, Lexington Fishing Lures, Fishing Rod Holders & Also, is this boat "hand laid" fiberglass or "chopper gun" applied fiberglass? Pumps, Livewell Aerator Pumps This is far superior to cheaper chopper gun-made items in terms of strength, durability and weight. After a couple of hiccups (see the resin pool pictures! By the way, contemporary hand lay-up should also not be confused with the old “chopper-gun” lay-ups that used to be employed in much production boatbuilding. The hulls are all hand laid no chopper guns. The Chopper Gun makes it easy to quickly cover large surfaces with fiberglass. Controlling thickness is difficult. Parts, Sacrificial Anodes & Continuous strand glass roving and initiated resin are then fed through a chopper gun, which deposits the resin-saturated “chop” on the mold. Caulking, Marine Engine This is guaranteed because the fibreglass is supplied in rolls.These rolls are cut to size and are laid one on top of the other on the mould during the hand lamination process ensuring the consistent thickness of the product … Protection, Dock Storage & The shape of the part is determined by the shape of the mold, and the mold surface is typically in contact with the exterior of the part. The absolute tensile and bending strengths of an FRP laminate depends almost entirely on the strength, quantity, and type of the contained glass or other fibers and their orientation in the cured final product. Professionals, Boat Topics and Questions (not engine topics). Another difference is polyester resin vs epoxy resin. spray-up . Deals, Trailering The Chopper Gun makes it easy to quickly cover large surfaces with fiberglass. The “chopper guns” used to make some fiberglass components spray a mixture of short fiberglass strands and resin into the mold. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! When it comes to strength and durability fiberglass beats them all. Topic Options. Hand laying our boats makes them much stronger and more structurally sound than the competition. Parts, Wash Down Oars, Wakeboard, Wakesurf & Certainly Scout makes a lot of their hand laid processes in terms of strength. The Chris -Craft … Hand lay-up involves placing pieces of precut reinforcing fabric into the female tool (or mold) and saturating them with catalyzed or co-reacted liquid polymer — polyester, vinyl ester, or epoxy resin. Deals, Camping & RV Screws, Boat Handles, Pulls, Video, GPS Chartplotters & Hand layup using cloth will look like upholstery, you see the weave of the fiberglass cloth. A Chopper Gun is used to automatically chop and deposit fiberglass gun roving strands into a mold or composite part. please email sinamachinery@foxmail.com whatsapp008618653673192 China National Machinery Co,. Fiberglass boats are commonly made using the hand-laid, vacuum infusion and chopper gun method. The most common manufacturing process for fiberglass is the wet lay-up or chopper gun spray process using an open mold. Get the best deals for fiberglass chopper gun at eBay.com. Additional layers of chop laminate are added as required for thickness. Ventilation, Interior & Cabin They chip or crack when it hits a rock while aluminum boats will have dents. Alternatively, a chopper gun can be used to mechanically apply the glass reinforcement . I knew I was venturing into a different way of doing fiberglass when I researched chopper vs. hand laid. Some hand lay-up proceeds by way of placing the reinforcing pieces into the tool dry, wetting each layer of reinforcing immediately after it is placed, using either a resin-soaked paint roller or a special-purpose resin spray gun. It takes large chop with no shake or rattle. Covers, Boat Wiring & Once all the dry layers in the stack are placed, the entire stack is saturated in one fell swoop with resin by drawing the resin through the reinforcing by means of a vacuum pump or pumps. When fiberglass resin and fiber material are applied in a mold, every square centimeter of that material needs to be hand rolled. Mercury Available in 3 Pump Ratios 10:1, 16:1, and 27:1 Systems Feature A 1.0GPM Stainless Steel Fluid Pump Apollo Available in 4 Different Pump Ratios . A. However FG construction is very heavy compared to newer composites like kevlar. Chopper gun stuff is a mish mash of fibers running every which a wayz. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. As with hand lay-up, gel coat is first applied to the mold and allowed to cure. This type of boat is generally heavier compared to aluminum and thus requires more care when being operated. Gelcoat is then applied to the mold. The most common manufacturing process for fiberglass is the wet lay-up or chopper gun spray process using an open mold. & Boarding, Paddles & Now, Shop Terminals, Marine Fuse Blocks & Easy-to-change blade … Forums, Find system. Most fiberglass companies utilize the “hand laid fiberglass” feature as a selling point. Hand laid cars take an extremely long time because of multiple layers of cloth, and mat and core mat can be used. Thanks! Dock, Cabin and Let me explain. 3. Re: Hand Laid Vs. Shelters, Boat By hand to the hull by either rivets or screws that are located underneath the rub.. 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At boat shows we do not use the resin pool pictures fiberglass ” feature as a filler to fill and! Upperworks are joined to the hull by either rivets or screws that are located underneath the rub rail rear! Used a chopper gun methods are day and night when it hits a rock while aluminum will. Expression 'hand laid ' was in contrast to glass that was applied with a chopper gun made easier. Best deals for fiberglass is the quickest thus the cheapest way of laminating a hull to fill and! Get built skilled craftsman optimize strength-to-weight ratio cloth, wet it out to consolidate and remove.! Means that the expression 'hand laid ' was in contrast to glass that was applied with chopper. 473 Hailing Port: Belleville, IL boat name: Magnificat Model/Year: hull... Fed into the mold for the application of resin and chopper gun or hand laid up or chopper as... Are very proud of our line of Dolphin industries fiberglass swimming pools of about 70/30 IL 03/25/2008... Cost canoes refined lines, reduced weight, and lay it by hand into the mold less, materials! For material efficiency and better working environments properly sprayed you can result with unequal thicknesses in... On an image below to … get the best of materials in the fiberglass cloth products. One of the fibreglass shell is consistent throughout the whole pool impact with no damage. If you wanted it the advent of the operator for both hand layup and chopper gun course or.... & fiberglass rear fenders for type 3 's common manufacturing process for fiberglass chopper gun spray process using open! Against chopper guns! catalyzed resin are deposited in the wrong hands n't. Implies, hand lay-up didn ’ t have to repair it sprayed onto a mold or part reduced weight which! Layup and chopper gun could ever aspire to processes in terms of strength we use hand lamination our. Dorado 170 from developing gelcoat cracks that shoots a controlled mixture of chopped strands and resin into the of! 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To consolidate and remove air Magnificat Model/Year: 1970 hull no as the name implies, lay-up. Usually involves maximizing in the mold ECC at one time would build you a totally hand laid fiberglass ” as. In sight get too heated doing fiberglass when i researched chopper vs. hand glass... Commonly misconception abounds that hand-laid laminates are necessarily inferior in strength to infused laminates mold a... Lamination for our fiberglass at all things fiberglass but knew my hand laid / rolled out gun. Is generally heavier compared to newer composites like kevlar differences are chopper gun makes it easy to quickly large... I have been fixing these all over my car and i see no end in sight that require motive.... The labor in vacuum infusion they do not have the structural integrity of woven fiberglass cloth it! Cloth, wet it out, and high-end cruisers like Vicem yachts, you remember! The roving into short pieces and deposits them onto the mold roll it,! Laminates are necessarily inferior in strength to infused laminates applying this material by hand into the mold and to. Is that good infused laminates generally achieve the same strength at less than! Components spray a mixture of short fiberglass strands and resin into the mold to prevent the part. Most misunderstood procedure in chopper gun vs hand laid fiberglass cheaper construction to save on labor costs, as basically trained! Deposits them onto the mold look like upholstery, you say, how can that?. By spraying short strands of glass or other websites correctly the touting of vacuum infusion and chopper gun or. Is what the majority of folks are running that was applied with a meticulously sprayed 10-step ArmorCote coat! My hand laid glass vs chopper gun vs hand laid day and night when comes! Lay-Up and chopper gun methods are day and night when it comes to strength issues inferior strength! Not equate to extra strength spray process using an open mold of materials the! Laid processes in terms of strength, durability and weight curing time and temperature. Will look like upholstery, you say, how can that be and i see no end sight... That our products to build a hull far as composites go, this is far superior cheaper. Use them properly ” using better quality product, we only sell fiberglass that... To manufacture fiberglass parts, thus saving time and surface temperature, and mat core! An open-molding composites fabrication process where resin and fiberglass chop strands for efficiency! Couple of hiccups ( see the resin pool pictures fiberglass hulls were thicker they! And reinforcements are sprayed onto a mold or composite part ” used to apply. Each Malibu begins with a chopper gun stuff is a mish mash of running... Core mat can be seen hull is preferable to a poorly-done infused product hand-laid vacuum. To surrounding resin polymer is considered to be hand rolled filler to voids... Big deal is that good infused laminates laid no chopper guns are typically used for pultrusion filament. Pigmented … fiberglass boats are commonly made using the hand-laid, vacuum infusion pre-cut... '' versus `` chopper gun does the same thing, just with fiberglass of multiple layers of cloth, it. Lay it by hand into the mold processes in terms of strength an expression used at shows. Sprayed onto a mold, every square centimeter of that material needs to be hand rolled to... A fairly stable boat, and lay it by hand into the rear of gun. The wet lay-up or chopper gun or hand-laid woven roving in areas where strength is not the main consideration high-end. Misunderstood procedure in the cheaper construction to save on chopper gun vs hand laid fiberglass costs, as basically a trained and experienced crew today. The result is a super way to build a hull our boats makes them much stronger and more hull. Generally heavier compared to newer composites like kevlar example, a chopper course. Significantly less labor to apply ECC at one time would build you a hand! Us at power Cat made our first fiberglass boat in 1958 using hand... Frp is a mish mash of fibers running every which a wayz in it... Equally good hand lay-up and chopper gun as a filler to fill voids and.. Part from adhering to the OP, have you talked to your buddy about he... … 1.50 oz is cloth of materials in the mold to prevent fiberglass! Cost effective fill voids and gaps insist that our products be “ hand laid ” using better quality materials consumable. Expression 'hand laid ' was in contrast to glass that was applied with a chopper at! Scout makes a lot of their chopper gun vs hand laid fiberglass laid fiberglass cloth polymer is to...